How to Erase Concrete Spills with a Holystone

How did that splash of concrete get spilled on my front walk? Did it get spilled when the concrete guy built the retaining wall? How do I remove it?

The easy answer is to use a holy-stone.

Holystone is the name of the stone that sailors of old used to scrub down the deck of their ship. That also is the name I give the stone I use to remove concrete or mortar drips from where it is unwanted.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A broken piece of concrete.
• A garden hose.
• A little labor.

1. There are a few ways to remove spilled cement products from a concrete walk.
   
   The spill can be washed with muriatic acid, but this is a powerful and dangerous product.
   
   An attempt may be made to clean the spill with a wire brush or power wheel, but these are generally ineffective.
   
   The surface may be sandblasted, but this is a dirty job and not too effective.
   
   You may use a holystone to abrade away the unwanted blob of concrete. This works well, but takes a bit of effort.

2. The holystone used by the old time sailors was a white chalky stone that did an effective job of smoothing the wooden decks of sailing ships.
   
   The holystone that I use to clean up masonry spills is a piece of concrete that is a comfortable size to hold and is the same color as the surface to be cleaned.

3. 
    
   Spilled mortar on the walk.

   The cleaning should be done as soon as the spill is noticed. Of course, if the spill just happened, a simple washing with a hose will do.
   
   If there are spills that aren't noticed for a day or two after the job is finished, the holystone is a relatively easy way to clean it up.

4. 
    
   Scrubbed with a holystone.

   There are usually small pieces of concrete lying about after a masonry job. Find a piece that you can hold easily in your gloved hand. It doesn't matter if the edge used to rub the concrete is rough or smooth.
   
   Just don't use a red brick to clean gray concrete. The red color will be hard to get off. I find a piece of broken concrete block makes a good holystone.

5. 
    
   The walk after using a holystone.

   Wet the spill with a garden hose and then scrub the spill with your holystone. Wash it off and inspect. If needed, repeat the scrubbing and washing again. The longer the spill has dried, the more scrubbing it will take to remove it.

6. If you have built a wall from concrete block and there are bits of mortar protruding from the joints, this may also be removed with a holystone.
   
   An bit of time cleaning up masonry spills will make for a much more attractive job.

Tips & Warnings

• Muriatic acid is dangerous. It should be neutralized with lime or baking soda after use. Use only as a last resort.

[xivyisazombiex]

on 11/12/2009 Great way to clean up spills.